Some port names need no introduction. Rome is one of them. No Mediterranean port call carries as many expectations in a single day: two thousand years of history, Baroque squares, the Vatican, the fountains. The good news is that the day can live up to its promise. Provided you prepare for it like an expedition, because the Eternal City is not at the foot of the gangway.

Civitavecchia, the capital's antechamber

Ships dock at Civitavecchia, a major port about 70 kilometres northwest of the capital. Port shuttles run from the gangway to the port entrance; the railway station is then about 1.5 kilometres away, on foot or by taxi. Regional trains speed to Rome's stations in 45 to 80 minutes depending on the service; tickets are sold at the station or online and must be validated before boarding. Cruise lines also offer transfers and guided excursions, a more expensive option but without worrying about the schedule: the ship waits for its own excursions, not for independent passengers.

Choosing your itinerary

Trying to see everything in one port call is a sure recipe for frustration. It's better to choose a theme and follow it. The first possible theme: antiquity. The Colosseum first, whose silhouette never disappoints, then the Roman Forum, where you literally walk in the footsteps of the consuls, and the Pantheon, whose open dome lets a ray of light fall on Raphael's tomb. The second theme: the Vatican. The museums unfold kilometres of galleries leading to the Sistine Chapel, before St. Peter's Basilica and its square framed by Bernini's colonnade.

Combining both themes in the same day remains possible for determined walkers, but each major visit requires timed reservations purchased well in advance. Without a reserved ticket, lineups can swallow up half the time available.

The squares and fountains

A third option, often the happiest one for a first port call: give up on the interiors and walk. The historic centre can be crossed on foot, from the Trevi Fountain to Piazza Navona, from the Pantheon to Campo de' Fiori, from the Spanish Steps to the lanes of Trastevere. An espresso standing at the counter, a slice of pizza al taglio, a gelato along the way: this Rome requires no ticket and leaves memories as lasting as the museums. Allow five to six kilometres of walking to complete the loop, with as many breaks as needed: the nasoni, public fountains of cool water, have lined the route for centuries.

A cruise passenger's precautions

• Note the all-aboard time and allow plenty of leeway: better to be an hour early in Civitavecchia than to see your ship on the horizon.
• Book the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums before leaving home, never on site.
• Wear good shoes: Roman cobblestones forgive nothing.

Back to the sea

On the train back, as the Lazio countryside rolls past the window, one thing becomes obvious: a day in Rome exhausts nothing; it inaugurates. You leave with a mental list of everything left to see, and that's exactly how the city has worked for centuries. Rome never ends. It only begins, and a port call is more than enough for that.